Submission from “Buttpea” who says “My first chopper……2nd one will be a CFL, raw with no paint.”
Never really posted a chopper before as it’s not our thing but you tell me, do you want to see this type of bike here?
A great read based in cognitive science (but not proclaiming cognitive science as the only answer). Here’s an excerpt (there are nine total principles):
Principle 1: People are naturally curious, but we are not naturally good thinkers; unless the cognitive conditions are right, we will avoid thinking.
Willingham states that our minds are not especially well-suited for thinking; thinking is slow, effortful and uncertain. So rather than thinking in most situations, we revert to relying on our memories – following courses of action we have taken previously. Paradoxically though, people tend to find successful thinking pleasurable – we like to solve problems, provided they are not too tough.
Dear Pearson and, by extension, McGraw-Hill, and the rest of the companies that produce standardized tests for our classrooms:
Schools all over New York state just finished giving the tests you designed for us. I read that you got $32 million for those. Wow. Recently, my colleagues and I sat in a meeting at our school learning how to score the tests using your materials. I hear these products are really helpful, and lots of teachers I know who use your grading software to track tests say it’s really easy to work with, so thanks for selling all of it to us. New York state and its districts paid a lot of money to buy those tests and the accompanying resources we need to prepare our students and process the scores. You guys made a bundle, but I have one question for you:
Can I have a little of that money back for my classroom? See, I used to have a teaching assistant, but we can’t afford her anymore. Our librarian was laid off, and we don’t know who will maintain our collection in the years to come. The prekindergarten program was eliminated last year. Class sizes have been going up everywhere I look, and we hardly go on field trips anymore. Music and art are being cut in a neighboring district, and I’m worried about what else is in store for us.
School budgets are not keeping up with rising operating costs as state aid and property taxes continue to shrink. So as the cost of testing mounts, cuts are made to classrooms like mine. I know you have everyone convinced that we, teachers, should be held more accountable for student performance, but in trying to raise standards, you’ve managed to make a lot of money on testing, all of which has come out of classrooms like mine.
Here is a simple truth which you will have to learn and memorize, because there will be a test on it later when we are depending on the next generation to take care of us in our old age: Slashing music, art, library, field trips, and support staff from classrooms so money can go to your company and its shareholders isn’t going to help educate anyone. For the good of the students, you must reconsider. This country can’t afford what you are doing to our schools and our children.
Signed, A Teacher
7 tech tools now available in the classroom, for better or worse
An interesting list. Here are two of my favorites:
BetterLesson
The Boston-based startup BetterLesson, founded in 2008, is a social media platform that educators can use to organize and share their curricula. Last year, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded BetterLesson $3.5 million. “Considering the startup allows teachers to browse a serious repository of documents, presentations, lessons and even complete units and courses, all through a simple search interface, and upload their own lessons onto a dashboard, you can see why teachers will love this kind of resource,” TechCrunch wrote in 2011. “Add the ability to share curricula directly with international educators and receive feedback, and you’ve got yourself a goddamn deal, as Dave Chappelle would say.”Remind101
Started by a team of two brothers, Remind101 enables students and parents to sign up to receive teachers’ text-message reminders about assignments. It’s private—these are mass texts, and teachers can’t see students’ phone numbers. It’s also one-way, meaning that teachers can send out texts, but students can’t respond to them.
All Wet - describes an erroneous idea or individual, as in, “he’s all wet.”
And How - I strongly agree!
Applesauce- an expletive same as horsefeathers, As in “Ah applesauce!”
Attaboy - well done!; also Attagirl!
Baby - sweetheart. Also denotes something of high value or respect.
Balled Up - confused, messed up
Baloney - nonsense!
Bank’s Closed - no kissing or making out - i.e. - “Sorry, Mac, the bank’s closed.”
Bearcat - a hot-blooded or fiery girl
Beat it - scam or get lost
Beat one’s gums - idle chatter
Bee’s Knees - An extraordinary person, thing, idea; the ultimate
Beef - a complaint or to complain
Beeswax - business, i.e. None of your beeswax.”
Bell bottom -a sailor
Berries - That which is attractive or pleasing; similar to bee’s knees, As in “It’s the berries.”
Bible Belt -Area in the South and Midwest where Fundamentalism flourishes
Big Cheese - The most important or influential person; boss. Same as big shot
Big six - a strong man; from auto advertising, for the new and powerful; six cylinder engines
Bimbo - a tough guy
Bird - general termfor a man or woman, sometimes meaning “odd,” i.e. “What a funny old bird.”
Blind Date - going out with someone you do not know
Bluenose - An excessively puritanical person, a prude, Creator of “the Blue Nozzle Curse.”
Bootleg - illegal liquor
Breezer - an convertible car
Bronx Cheer - A loud splutteringnoise, used to indicate disapproval. Same as raspberry
Bull - (1) a policeman or law-enforcement officer including FBI (2) nonsense (3) to chat idly, to exaggerate
Bull Session - Male talkfest, gossip, stories of sexual exploits
Bum’s rush - ejection by force from an establishment
Bump Off - To murder,To kill
Butt me - I’ll take a cigarette
Caper - a criminal act or robbery
Carry a Torch - To have acrush on someone
Cash - a kiss
Cash or check? - Do you kiss now or later?
Cat’s Meow - Something splendid or stylish; similar to bee’s knees; The best or greatest, wonderful.
Cat’s Pajamas - Same as cat’s meow
Chassis - the female body
Cheaters - Eyeglasses
Check - kiss me later
Ciggy - cigarette
Copacetic - Wonderful, fine, all right
Crush - An infatuation
Daddy - a youngwoman’s boyfriend or lover, especially if he’s rich
Dame - a female
Dapper - a Flapper’s dad
Darb - An excellent person or thing (as in “the Darb” - a person with money who can be relied on to pay the check)
Dead soldier - an empty bear bottle
Deb - an debutant
Dick - a private investigator
Dogs - feet
Doll - an attractive woman
Dolled up - dressed up
Don’t know from nothing - don’t have any information
Don’t take any wooden nickels - Don’t do anything stupid
Double-cross - to cheat, stab in the back
Dough - money
Drugstore Cowboy - a guy that hangs around on a street corner trying to pick up girls
Dry up - shut up, get lost
Ducky - very good
Dumb Dora - a stupid female
Edge - intoxication, a buzz. i.e. “I’ve got an edge.”
Egg - a person who lives the big life
Fire extinguisher - a chaperone
Fish -(1) a college freshman
(2) a first timer in prisonFlat Tire - A dull witted, insipid, disappointing date. Same as pill, pickle, drag, rag, oilcan
Flivver - a Model T; after 1928, could mean any old broken down car
Flapper - A stylish, brash, hedonistic young woman with short skirts & shorter hair
Fly boy - a glamorous term for an aviator
Frame - To give false evidence , to set up someone
Get a wiggle on - get a move on, get going
Giggle Water - An intoxicating beverage; alcohol
Gin Mill - An establishment where hard liquor is sold; bar
Glad rags - “going out on the town” clothes
Gold Digger - A woman who associates with or marries a man for his wealth
Goofy - in love
Hair of the Dog - a shot of alcohol
Handcuff - an engagement ring
Hard Boiled -a tough, strong guy
Hayburner - (1) a gas guzzling car (2) a horse one loses money on
Heebie-Jeebies - The jitters
High-Hat - To snub
Hit on all sixes - to perform 100 per cent; as “hitting on all six cyclinders”
Hooch - Bootleg liquor
Hood - hoodlum
Hoofer - Dancer
Horsefeathers - an expletive ; same usage as applesauce
Hotsy - Totsy - Pleasing
Iron - a motorcycle
Jake - OK, as in , ”Everything is Jake.”
Jalopy - Oldcar
Jane - any female
Java - coffee
Jitney - a car employed as a private bus. Fare was usually five cents; also called a “nickel”
Joe - coffee
John - a toilet
Joint - an establishment
Juice Joint - a speakeasy
Joint - A club, usually selling alcohol
Keen - Attractive or appealing
Kisser - Mouth
Left holding the bag - (1) to be cheated out of one’s fair share (2) to be blamed for something
Level with me - be honest
Line - Insincere flattery
Live wire - a lively person
Mrs. Grundy - A priggish or extremely tight-laced person
Nifty - great, excellent
“Now you’re on the trolley!” - Now you’ve got it, now you’re right!
Nobody Home - Describes some one who is dumb
On the lam - fleeing from police
On the level - legitimate, honest
On the up and up - on the level
Orchid - an expensive item
Ossified - a drunk person
Owl - a person who’s outlate
Palooka (1) a below-average or average boxer (2) a social outsider, from the comic strip character Joe Palooka
Pet - Same as neck, but more so
Piker - (1) a cheapskate (2) a coward
Pill - (1) a teacher (2) an unlikable person
Pinch - To arrest
Pipe down - stop talking
Pushover - A person easily convinced or seduced
Putting on the Ritz- after the Ritz hotel in Paris; doing something in high style
Rag-a-muffin - a dirty or disheveled individual
Razz- to make fun of
Real McCoy - The genuine article
Ritzy - Elegant (from the hotel)
Rubes - money or dollars
Says you - a reactionof disbelief
Scram - Ask someone to leave immediately
Sheba - A woman with sex appeal (from the move Queen of Sheba) or (e.g. Clara Bow)
Sheik - A man with sex appeal (from the Valentino movies)
Shiv - a knife
Sinker - a doughnut
Speakeasy - An illicit bar selling bootleg liquor
Spifflicated - Drunk. The same as canned, corked, tanked, primed, scrooched, jazzed, zozzled, plastered, owled, embalmed, lit, potted, ossified or fried to the hat
Spiffy - An elegant appearance
Spoon - to neck, or at least talk of love
Struggle Buggy - the backseat of a car. A parent’s worst nightmare
Stuck On - Having a crush on
Swanky - Ritzy
Swell - Wonderful. Also: a rich man
Take for a Ride - To drive off with someone in order to bump them off
Tin Pan Alley - the music industry in New York, located between 48th and 52nd street
Tomato - a female
Torpedo - A hired gun
Upchuck - To vomit when one has drunk too much
Wet Blanket - a solemn person, a killjoy
What’s eating you? - What’s wrong
Whoopee - To have a good time
Whatever the wishes of scale-obsessed educational entrepreneurs, schools still appear to improve slowly. There are no easy solutions and no quick fixes. But this cohort of reformers, led by a posse of assertive billionaires and their allies, is united in…
Why We Need Teachers
I know this video is subtitled. I know it’s long by Internet standards at a whopping 15 minutes. And I know that (based on a fact shared in the video) only 9% of you who start playing it will still be watching after five minutes.
But this is hands-down the best defense of teaching I’ve seen all year. I was amazed at how the time melted away while I watched.
This guy gets it.
Gustavo Reis no TEDxUnisinos 2012 (by TEDxTalks)
